Improvement in washing-ivlachiiijes



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

0. A. DODGE. Washing-Machine.

No. 203,250. Pateh'ted May 7,1878

INVENTOR Er nl "METERS, PHOTO-HTNOGRAPH WASHINGTON D c 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

0. IL DODGE. Washing-Machine.

No. 203',250. Pafente'd May 7, 1878.

WITNESQSES N, PETERS, PHOTOLITHOGRAPRER. WA HI 0 c UNITED swims cfYnUs A. D on GE, OF MIDDLE BURY, VERMONT.

IMhROVEM ENT IN, WASH l Ne- MAC Hl Nae.

' Specification forming par of Letters Patent No. oaeso', dated May 7, e18, application tied i January 18,1878.

To all whom it my mom. y Be it known tht 1", OYRUs A. DODGE, of Middlebury, in the county of Addison and State of Yermont, have invented' certain new and: useful Improvements in Washing-Machines; and I d'ohe'reby declare the following to be a full clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and useit, reference being had to the accbmpanyng drawings, which form part of this specification. g f g i f My invention relates to an improvement in pounder washing-machines the object being to provide an actuating-lever for a pounder,

washingfrnnchine, of such construction that the lever may be moved either laterally or vertically, and also be readily contracted or expanded in length, topermit the pounder to be placed in any portion of thetub while the machine is being operated.

My inventionconsists, first, in a pounder washing -machine, having an actuating-lever, onstru'cted and adapted to be readily expanded or contracted in length, whereby the pounder may be carried to any portion of the tubby moving the free end of said lever to ward or from its fulcrum;

My inventi nfurther consists in the several 1 details of -coiistructien and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed outin the claims. p

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of one. form of pounder washing-machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, showing the pounder in the center of the tub. 'I'Fig. 3 is a plan view, showing the lever when expanded or drawn out to its full length. Fig. 4 represents a similar view, with the lever contracted to allow the pounder to be located near the fulcrum. Fig. 5 is a plan view, showing the pounder at one side of the tub. Figs. 6, 7, and 8 show modified forms of construction.

A represents an ordinary tub. B is an inverted U-shaped clamp, provided with a setscrew, 12, whereby said clamp maybe removably secured to the upper edge of the tub. To the upper part of the clamp is secured, or formed solid therewith, an arm, 0, within the outer end of which is pivoted a stud, D, the latter having the bars E pivoted to' its upper end. To the opposite ends ofbarsE are pivoted the ends of the bars F, the opposite endsof the latter being pivoted to the end of the rigid portion of the actuating l'ever G. H is a pounder-shaft, provided with a series of holes, 0, to allow said shaft to beadjustably secured to thelever G bymeansof a removable pin, The opening e in the lever G is of suffi cient length mal ow a rocking movement of 1 the pounder-shaft, in order that the latter may be retained inavertical position, regardless 5 of the position or inclination of the actuating,- i- I Instead of forming an opening in lever G for the introduction of the pounder-shaft, the. latter may be slotted te receive said lever, and thus, the same results will be secured. From the above it will be understoodthat the length of leverage will be increased or diminished as the handle or rigid portion G is moved toward or awayfroni the stud D,whieh constitutes the fulcrum for the lever, the latter being. pivoted thereto in sucha manner that said lever maybe freely moved either in a vertical or lateral direction. In Fig. 2 the pounder I is representedas being placed in the center of the tub. y When it is desired to operate the pounder Elli that portion of the tubopposite the ful- I cru1n,the operator may continue to reciprowas the pounder, and, by drawing out the never without removing thehand frem the same, can bring the pounder to operate in such portion of the tub. This position of the poiin der is illustrated in Fig, 3. When it is desired to operatthe peimde'r at a point in.

the tub near the fulcrum of the lever, as shown in Fig. 4, the handle is forced toward the fulcrum, and the pivoted bars expand or recede from each other, thus allowing the pounder to be freely operated near the fulcrum. The pounder may also be operated at the side of the tub without the necessity of any change of position on the part of the operator, as clearly illustrated by the position of the several parts of the lever in Fig. 5.

Fig. 6 represents a modified form of construction, embodying the same principle of operation as has been heretofore described.

The clamp B is of the same form, and is secured to the tub A in the manner illustrated in Fig. 1. The actuating-lever J consists of the pivoted sliding lever K and handle K. Lever Kis pivoted to a stud, L, which is swiveled in the arm 0, attached to the clamp, whereby said lever may be freely moved either in a vertical or lateral direction. The

handle K is attached to the lever K by means of the sleeves of rings 1. The pounder-shaft M, provided with pounder M, is preferably slotted to receive said levers, and also provided with a series of holes, m, whereby it may be secured in a vertically-adjustable manner to part K by a removable pin, on.

The construction of washing-machine last described is such that the pounder may be readily operated in any portion of the tub, as the actuating-lever has free lateral and vertical movement; and, as it is adapted to be expanded or contracted in length, the pounder may be carried toward or from the center of the tub in any direction desired.

Fig. 7 represents another modification of my improvement. In this case the actuating-lever is of telescopic form, one end, N, being pivoted to the swiveled stud O, while its other end is received within the tube P, the latter serving as the handle. The pounder-shaft 0 is slotted for the reception of the tubular handle I, and is pivoted in a vertically-adjustable manner to said handle in any manner. In the present construction a perforated lug, p, is attached to the lower side of said handle, and the'pounder-shaft is pivoted to said lug by means of a removable pin, 19. This construction embodies the same principle of operation as the forms of construction heretofore described. The actuating-lever may be freely moved either in a vertical or lateral direction, and, as the lever is-constructed to be expanded or contracted in length, it enables the pounder to be moved to any portion of the tub.

Fig. 8 represents another modification embodying my invention. In this instance the actuating-lever consists of the handle portion Q, to which the pounder-shaft is adjustably secured, in'the manner hereinbefore described, and the lazy-tongs B, which is pivoted at one end to the handle Q and at the other end to a swiveled socket, S. The crossed levers T, of

which the lazytongs is composed, will approach each other as the pounder is drawn away from the fulcrum, and recede from each other as the pounder is moved toward said fulcrum.

I am aware that pounder washing-machines have been heretofore provided with an actuating-lever which is adapted to slide to and fro within a fulcrum located at one side of the tub, as illustrated in the patent to L. Caldwell dated September 24, 1872, No. 131,659, and hence I make no claim to such construction, as in my improved pounder washing-machine the actuating-lever has no sliding movement within the fulcrum, but is pivoted thereto, and the outer or handle end of the lever is adapted and arranged to have a longitudinal movement imparted thereto.

In view of the fact that my invention is of such a character that it maybe embodied in difl'erent forms of construction, I would have it understood that I do not limit myself to the particular construction and arrangement of parts shown and described, as many variations can be devised without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is

1. In a pounder washing-machine, the combination,with a pounder-shafthavin g a pounder attached thereto, of an actuating-lever pivoted to a stationary fulcrum attached to the tub, said lever composed of two or more parts,

which parts are arranged and combined in such a manner that that portion of the lever between the pounder-shaft and fulcrum may be expanded or contracted in length, whereby the pounder may be carried to any part of the tub by means of a lever, one end of which is pivoted to a fulcrum and maintains a fixed relative position thereto at all times,,substantially as set forth.

2. In a pounder washing-machine, an actuating-lever, consisting of bars or levers pivoted to each other and to a swiveled or pivoted fulcrum at one end, while their opposite ends are pivoted toa handle carrying the pounder-shaft,

substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand.

CYRUS A. DODGE.

Witnesses:

H. A. SEYMOUR, THOMAS E. HALL. 

